This disclosure relates to a Mercury-in-Pipe Assessment Tool (MiPAT) for non-destructive analysis of all forms of mercury (Hg) present in process equipment including but not limited to vessels, piping, hoses, pumps, exchangers, and all types of pipelines. The MiPAT of this disclosure provides oil and gas producers, for example, with the ability to cost-effectively assess and monitor the concentration and distribution of adsorbed, absorbed, chemisorbed, and free liquid phase mercury in oil and gas production, gathering, and processing systems and pipelines including subsea pipelines.
Current methods for the measurement of mercury in pipe are limited. One common method includes using a field portable handheld x-ray spectrometer to analyze an open end of a pipe or a coupon, which is a section of pipe that has been removed. Another technique involves pipe coupon digestion using a wet chemistry method, such as acid digestion, to prepare pipe coupons for analysis by AFS (atomic fluorescence spectroscopy) or AAS (atomic absorption spectroscopy), as examples. Another known method includes thermal desorption of a pipe coupon at about 800° C. to prepare the sample for analysis by AFS or AAS.